Not While I'm Around
by St. Berry 4
Summary: Stroking her hair there in the back seat, he felt a strange wave of deep protectiveness wash over him as she lightly breathed against him.  Strange because he didn't know this girl at all.  There was no reason for him to feel so strongly about her safety.


A quiet whimper.

Beautiful blue eyes.

Then the world turned black.

* * *

Jesse sighed; rehearsals had been extremely grueling tonight. Nobody seemed able to keep in time with the new choreography presented a few days ago for the second act. _He,_ of course, did fine. His cast mates were the ones having problems. Someone was always a second behind or ahead and the director kept screaming and screaming which didn't help anything one bit. The female lead had a nervous breakdown, one of the many dancers had a panic attack, and another managed to fall off the stage entirely. All this and more made him wonder how any of them even landed a part in this show. Had they ever heard of professionalism? You don't just break down on stage when things get rough; you push forward and do better. That's just how showbiz was and if they couldn't handle it, then they seriously needed to evaluate their career choices because they weren't going to make it in the arduous world of musical theatre.

He cursed the distance of his apartment from the theatre as he made the long trek back home. Normally, he never minded the long walk since it gave him time to unwind and just think after taxing days in rehearsals with cast mates he couldn't stand all too well these days. Under the bright lights of New York tonight though all he could think about was the ice packs he was going to need for his screaming muscles and the long night of rest he couldn't wait to get to.

'_Thank the Broadway gods there's no rehearsal tomorrow.'_ He thought to himself. There was no way he could go another round of rehearsals without doing his own type yelling if faced with everyone tomorrow and no one wanted to deal with a pissed off Jesse St. James. He wasn't an overdramatic male diva for nothing and annoying him to the point of insanity was just asking for a reaction from him that most people didn't want to see.

'_They should all be happy I didn't get in their faces tonight,' _he thought still wound up after twenty minutes of walking. _'They all pretty much deserved it anyways.'_

The fatigue he'd been feeling seemed to be pressing on him too harshly tonight. A cab ride was definitely in order, screw the fresh air and walking tonight. Not like he couldn't afford it anyway. Flagging down a cab wasn't all that hard, not with how deserted the area he was walking down was. Pulling the door open and nodding to the driver, he was just about to climb into the back seat of the cab when he heard a weird scraping sound coming from the alleyway behind him.

'_The hell?'_ He thought, spinning around to look down the dark and what he had thought to be deserted alley. He squinted trying to make out what the noise was. Not seeing much of anything he was just about to turn back to his ride when he heard the sound again followed by… Was that a whimper?

Taking a bit of cash and handing it to the driver, Jesse tells him to wait here and that he'll just be a second.

"Sir, it's not a good idea to be going down alleys like that at this hour." The taxi driver replies while taking the cash and putting the cab into park.

Jesse promptly ignores the man as he slowly makes his way towards the alleyway. The scraping noise starts up again, but it's much more faint this time. Not further away by any means just quieter, weaker almost in a way. Another whimper follows immediately after the scraping stops. A sense of urgency surges through him. There's no mistaking that the sound is human and most definitely female.

Quickening his pace, Jesse half jogs through the beginnings of the alleyway before quickly spotting the figure on the ground. The lights are dim and he can barely make out any of her features, but he knows she's been hurt and obviously mugged or something of the sort. She whimpers again just as he's kneeling beside her. She seems to sense that someone is there her and looks up at him, relief flashing through her eyes briefly before they flutter shut and her whole body goes slack.

He finds himself looking around the alley, for what reason he's not sure, maybe to ensure no one else is around to jump him or for help he knows isn't going to be there. After assuring himself that there is no immediate threat around them, he turns back to the unconscious female in front of him. He notices keys in her open hand. _'So that's where the noise was coming from.' _He couldn't help glancing at her face quickly. _'She was trying to get someone's attention to help her.'_

He had no idea who she was or what had happened to her for that matter, but he couldn't just leave her here. Checking her form for any blatant injuries to be weary of and sliding the keys out of her hand and into his coat pocket, Jesse slid his arms under her legs and back before hoisting her up in his arms completely, cradling her against his chest protectively as he stood.

He let his eyes scan the area once more before turning and making his way back to the taxi still parked idly by the curb.

The driver must have been avidly watching for him because the second he was back on the brightly lit sidewalk the man was out of the cab pulling the door open for him having noticed the young woman in his arms.

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know." Jesse responded quietly as he climbed into the cab. "She passed out right after I found her."

"Right." The man answered taking in the state of her against him before shutting the door and returning to the driver's seat. "Where to then sir? The hospital I assume."

Jesse was about to affirm the man's assumption when the young woman started to stir slightly.

"No hospitals." Had she not been in his arms he never would have heard her broken whisper.

Looking down sharply, Jesse found big brown eyes looking at him pleadingly. It tugged at his heartstrings.

"You're hurt." He felt a tad stupid saying that because, obviously, she knew that already. "You need to be looked at to make sure you're okay."

Her brown eyes started to water as fear simultaneously flitted across them.

"Please?" She pleaded with him weakly, her head still resting feebly against his chest.

He could only stare at her. Why wouldn't she want to go to a hospital? She was hurt in some way or another and she needed to be seen by a doctor or someone. The genuine fear in her eyes stopped his repeated response from before. She honestly looked terrified at the idea of going to a hospital.

"Please…" She repeated faintly as unconsciousness claimed her again.

His stomach clenched painfully. She'd already been through quite the ordeal; he couldn't put her in another situation that was sure to upset her when she came to.

"Sir?" The driver asked regaining his attention. "Do you want me to drive to the nearest hospital?"

Jesse glanced down once more before steeling his face in resolve.

'_Damn it all to hell.'_

"No." The driver gave him a bewildered look. "She doesn't want to go." He said answering the man's unasked question and then prattling off his apartment building's address. The driver continued to stare at him and Jesse felt his inner diva surfacing. "Drive. _Now_." He said it so forcefully that the driver jumped in his seat, re-faced the front, and then sped off down the road.

Sending one last good glare in the driver's direction he refocused his attention on the brunette in his arms, taking in her entire appearance from head to toe.

She was fairly tiny, something he had noticed when he'd picked her up, but appeared to be around his age. Possibly a couple years younger. Brushing a few strands of hair away from her face he found she had soft thick hair though some of the strands near her face weren't as soft at the moment due to the perspiration that had caused them to stick there. Her lashes were long and full, her nose was a tad bigger for a girl her size, but fit her face perfectly, and her skin was enticingly smooth. He didn't dare look at her lips already wanting to smack himself for checking out the girl in the state she was in.

He found himself frowning when he came across a bruise adorning her cheek. He'd been so worried about getting her out of that alley and into the cab that he really hadn't taken the time to evaluate what injuries she had sustained. He'd only made sure she wasn't bleeding or had any broken bones so as not to cause her further harm when picking her up. He wanted to check her for further bruising or any other bodily harm that may have come to her, but with a quick look in front of him, he figured he should wait until he was away from the prying eyes of the cab driver. The thought of the man watching him look over her sent a sick feeling to his stomach. Sure the man had helped him out with door, but even Jesse could see that the driver had noticed how pretty of a thing the girl in his arms was. It would be much better to just wait until he was in the safety of his apartment to check the rest of her for any harm done.

Noticing the driver glancing back at the two of them yet again, Jesse shifted the girl closer to him, taking his left arm and wrapping it around her upper back while letting his hand relax against her wrist. Very gently gripping it as it rested against her stomach. His right hand came up to rest in her hair, holding her safely to his chest whilst keeping her shielded slightly from the prying eyes of the driver.

Stroking her hair there in the back seat, he felt a strange wave of deep protectiveness wash over him as she lightly breathed against him. Strange because he didn't know this girl at all. There was no reason for him to feel so _strongly_ about her safety. A normal dose of concern due to the circumstance, sure, that was acceptable, but the pull he felt at keeping her secure and out of harm's way no matter what was quite stifling. He'd never felt that way towards another human being. Growing up as an only child probably played a part in that, but even the number of girls he dated never stirred such an emotion in him. The whole thing was making him feel a tad uneasy.

Noticing his apartment building up ahead, Jesse removed his hand from the unknown girl's hair and pulled some cash out of his pocket. The driver had barely stopped alongside the building before Jesse was thrusting the money at him (leaving a generous tip) and opening the door, still carrying the unconscious woman in his arms. Kicking the door shut quickly, he made his way to the doors pressing the handicap button with his knee in order to keep a grip on the girl, not wanting to wake her with unnecessary movements. He ignored the strange look he received as he passed one of the many people that lived there on his way into the elevator. Pressing the button for the top floor, he rested casually against the wall unconsciously shifting the girl for the umpteenth time. He felt her face fall against his neck as one of her hands came to rest upon his chest and couldn't help to feel that flutter of protectiveness course through him again.

The low ding of the elevator tore him from his thoughts and he proceeded on towards his place. Upon reaching the door he realized he'd forgotten to take his keys out of his pocket before exiting the cab. He'd been in too much of a hurry to get her to the safety of his apartment. Bringing his right knee up, he slipped his arm out from beneath her legs, keeping her balanced atop of his own _(thank god for those years of dance lessons)_ while fishing his keys from his pocket quickly. He unlocked the door before replacing his right arm beneath her legs again and crossing the threshold into his apartment. He flicked the light switch on before pushing the door shut with his foot and securing the lock on it.

'_I'll have to put her in my room.'_ He thought to himself while briefly glancing around his apartment. _'There's no way I'm leaving her on the couch. That thing is not comfortable enough for her.'_

He was thankful that he'd left his bedroom door open upon leaving today; he really didn't want to fight with another door right now.

He gingerly laid her out on his bed once he'd reached it, still careful of any possible injuries she could have. Which posed his next problem. She was wearing a dress and that wasn't going to make checking her upper body for damage easy in the least and he was determined not to violate her profile. After removing her coat, he stood there for a few minutes debating what would be the best way to go about this before deciding that changing her into something of his would be the best solution. That dress didn't look all that comfortable to sleep in anyways.

Pulling a pair of shorts and a black shirt from his dresser, he set about carefully undressing the young woman.

He drew her up into a sitting position, once again letting her body rest against his own, and carefully unzipped her strapless dress. Once he made sure it was completely unzipped, but still resting in the same place on her body, he took his shirt and slowly worked her arms into it before sliding it over her head and guiding the garment down her body and over the top of her dress. He had to ignore that twinge in his stomach once again as he delicately tugged her long tresses free from under the neck of the shirt, her head resting against his neck again.

His fingers directed the top part of her dress easily out from beneath his shirt, but he didn't remove the whole thing just yet. Laying her gently back down on the pillows, he shifted down to her feet and began removing the heels adorning them. He set them on the ground and then grabbed the shorts resting on his lap taking a deep breath as he began to lead them over her feet. He guided them up her legs slowly without lifting the skirt of her dress too much; careful to keep his hands at the side of her hips and nowhere near anything that could be seen as him taking advantage of her.

With the shorts firmly in place, he bunched her skirt up above her hips and lifted her upper body again to pull the whole thing off of her. He was amazed she stayed unconscious for the entirety of this.

This time as he positioned her comfortably on the bed and pillows, he couldn't help but to run his fingers lightly through her hair. Twirling a few pieces around his fingers as he adjusted the strands away from her face. He cursed himself a bastard and turned on the light atop his nightstand, breathing a sigh of relief when the action didn't wake her.

With the light on he could make out more markings across her small form. There were bruises on her neck in the shape of fingers. He felt the first flare of anger rise in him as he realized someone had choked her.

'_That explains why she wasn't calling for help and using her keys to create some form of noise.'_

Her upper arms had similar marks along her biceps and he had to fight down another wave of anger. Rolling his shirt up to just below her breast line, he found more bruises on her stomach and ribs in the shape of deformed circles. His anger was beginning to borderline on fury now. Turning her on her side he found scrapes and scratches along her back possibly from being thrown and skidding on the ground or even sliding down the brick wall of the alley. Those would need to be cleaned and dressed to prevent them from getting infected.

Not wanting to wait and needing a quick breather from inspecting her injuries, Jesse went into his bathroom to get his first aid kit, depositing her coat, dress, and shoes in an armchair along the way. He grabbed it quickly and returned back to her side immediately pulling out everything he needed to address her wounds. Glad she was asleep, he began cleaning the scrapes out as gently and as best he could. He felt her wince a few times, but she didn't stir. After cleaning the cuts, he put some healing cream on each wound before bandaging them and pulling the shirt back down to cover her.

Weary of the new bandaging he just done, he slowly guided her body so she was laying on her back again brushing her hair out of her face once more.

Her legs seemed completely unharmed and for a moment he breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until he took in the state of her right ankle. It was swollen and bruising.

Unadulterated rage surged throughout his body. Somebody had man-handled her!

All he could see was red as he stormed into the kitchen, pulling out the few icepacks he kept handy in his freezer due to his physically demanding job. Throwing them against the counter to grab towels out of drawer to wrap them in, he closed his eyes.

'_Breathe, dammit.'_ Labored breaths seemed to be all he could manage at the moment. _'You're not going to be any help if you go back in there raving mad. You'll probably end up hurting her further.'_

That last thought did the trick as he finally forced his breathing into a controlled pattern. In and out, in and out. Slowing down each time until he felt he was in enough control to re-enter his room. Flicking the lights off in the main area as he went.

Sitting beside her he tightly wrapped the icepacks he had in the towels, grabbing one of his extra pillow beside her head to prop her foot upon, and then cautiously placing the first two packs over her swelling ankle. The last one he would have to hold in place himself for awhile because the first bruise he'd noticed upon her cheek was beginning to swell as well.

He couldn't help, but to study her once more as he sat there tenderly holding the ice pack to her cheek. She was very pretty that much was obvious and it made him wonder who exactly she was. New York was a big place and it came as no surprise that he'd never crossed paths with her before, but gazing at her now he pondered what kind of person could put someone like her through this. That new feeling of protectiveness he developed for her resurfaced suddenly. He still felt uneasy about the attachment he was developing for the small beauty lying in his bed, but fought down the urge to think about it as he finally removed the ice from her cheek. The ones on her ankle he would leave overnight seeing as that injury was much, much worse.

Not feeling like walking all the way back into the kitchen he threw the ice pack into his bathroom sink. Resting his hands along the counter edges, he took in his appearance for the first time that night since leaving the theatre. He looked exhausted, frazzled, and worried all in one. The whole day finally caught up to him and he felt his whole body ache with fatigue as he stood there studying himself in the mirror. There was no way he was sleeping in another room because the thought of _her_ waking up in a strange place with no one there was daunting. She'd be terrified. He was thankful for the small couch he'd put in the room because it ensured he'd be near by the second she woke up.

Making his way back into his room, he grabbed another one of the extra pillows and an extra blanket from his closet to set up a make shaft bed on the couch.

Jesse moved back to his actual bed to check on the girl on more time as he flicked off the light on his nightstand. He fixed her again as he sat there examining her swiftly for any apparent bruising or scrapes he may have missed. With a last sweep of his thumb across her good cheek, he pulled away from her, fighting the foolish urge to brush his lips over her forehead.

Settling on his couch he wondered what morning was going to bring before sleep overtook him.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know. I really shouldn't be starting another story considering I still have Shooting Stars to work on, but this idea just wouldn't leave me alone! I've also come to the conclusion that I need to be nicer to Jesse and Rachel in my multi-chapter stories. I'm proned to one of them always being hurt at the beginning of them. I promise Rachel is not by any means going to be as hurt as Jesse is in Shooting Stars. ****I should be able to work on Shooting Stars soon too. I've had an eye infection the past week (apparently from my contacts) and have only been able to keep said eye open the past two days.**

**As always, I hope you enjoyed reading!**


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